Sir - An understanding of the brutality, hypocrisy and fear exposed by the "States of Fear" documentary obviously requires complex consideration of a variety of factors in Irish society. Among these factors are the legacies of a traumatic history which culminated in the Great Famine of 1845-1848. The fact that the 100th anniversary of this tragedy (1945-48) was ignored by the State, and that it only came under sustained scrutiny on its 150th anniversary speaks both of the trauma of this event and of the social and cultural patterns of denial which are related to it and which are evident in the documentary.
The 150th anniversary of the Great Famine (1995-1998) involved excavating and facing the horrors of poverty, destitution, starvation and emigration. Social and psychological patterns were touched upon, but their legacy has not yet been fully understood. What is clear is that at that time enormous numbers were exposed to the horrors of famine, and that some people survived while others succumbed. Under these conditions people can display both tremendous courage, generosity and caring, but also experience shame and guilt, an urge to "hang on to what you have", and a capacity to "turn a blind eye" to the needs and suffering of others. These are the contradictions of trauma and oppression - callousness coexisting with compassion, competition coexisting with co-operation, silence and hypocrisy coexisting with openness and honesty.
To attempt to place the patterns identified in "States of Fear" in the historical context of time (the 1950s and 1960s in Ireland) and also to relate it to the longer preceding historical period is not to excuse the behaviour or to deny responsibility. Rather it aims to provide a deeper understanding of important social and cultural patterns which are deeply embedded in Irish society. Failure to fully confront and understand the origins of these patterns will only perpetuate them to the detriment of many individuals and of society as a whole. As the documentary made explicitly clear, these patterns are not confined to the historical time period of the 1950s and 1960s, nor are they confined to religious orders or to those charged with the care of children and of juveniles. The litany of cases which has shocked the nation over the last decade, from the Kilkenny case to the McColgan case, all display elements of the same pattern - of brutality, of covering up, of hypocrisy and doublethink. These same elements are present in child abuse, violence against women in intimate relationships and racist violence. They are as much part of our legacy as courage, compassion and resistance to oppression and inequality. - Yours, etc.
Dr Geraldine Moane, Department of Psychology, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4.